Walking at Midnight
by Puck's Favourite Girl
Summary: Sometimes, good timing and a really bad nightmare can make all the difference. AMUTO!


**A/N I just reread this and noticed all the mistakes, so this is the revamp of this story. I hope you like it! **

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He pulled her head closer to his chest and nuzzled his face into her strawberry pink hair. Tears wet the front of his shirt and her little fists crumpled the fabric and pulled him closer still. Little puffs of air and gasps escaped her bruised lips in perfect synchronization with her heartbroken sobs. Navy eyes softened sadly down at the young girl in his arms. Stroking her back in regular motions he squeezed her gently. "Shhhh. Shh Amu. It's alright. It's alright. I swear, I won't let anything get you…I'll protect you. I promise." Her sobs increased in volume as she clutched to him like a helpless girl in a raging sea.

"Ik-Ikuto!" she cried his name before returning to the loving embrace of his chest.

She was crying. But he was thankful, oh so thankful. The ticking clock read 2 a.m. and little girls should be asleep by now, but not Amu. He was lucky. Lucky that he was strolling around and happened to see the tiny light flickering like a lost soul in her window. He couldn't sleep. He needed to leave, to feel calm. Restore a semblance of balance in this messed up world he lived in. The only place where he found peace was with Amu, which brought him there. Even her sleeping could slow his breath and relax his mind. But he didn't find her sleeping. He found something worse.

Screams. She was screaming. Screaming and sobbing. Eyes crinkled in torture. Her pale lips wide open and shrieking. Hair flying everywhere she looked terrified. Terrified and worst of all, alone. He didn't think. He merely acted. Jumping onto the balcony required no effort whatsoever and he quickly pushed the glass door open. Running as lightly as he could toward her he grabbed her shoulders roughly and shook her. "Amu. Amu!" he spoke loudly but firmly, urging her to wake up.

But sleep wouldn't let its prisoner escape. Keeping her firmly locked up in its claws Ikuto hugged her close to his chest and yelled her name. "Amu! Wake up! It's a dream, you're dreaming!" laying her back down gently he grabbed her face in both his hands just held her.

Leaning his face in close to her own he whispered her name, his breath brushing over her lips in a ghost of a kiss. His heart stopped as her mouth twisted into a blood curling scream of pain and agony and horror and misery. "Amu!" Glowing eyes burst open in fear and terror before she recognized his face. "Ikuto!" she gasped.

But it wasn't a mock angry gasp or the usual annoyed-but-not-really gasp. It was the kind of gasp that broke his heart, the kind of gasp that screamed help me. "Amu." He murmured.

Pulling back his face from hers reluctantly he was surprised when she shot like a rocket into his arms and hugged him tightly. Which brought him back to the present moment. "Amu, it's okay, you're safe. You're fine. Everything's going to be alright, it was just a nightmare." Murmuring comforting words in her ear he brushed his lips lovingly on her brow before resuming his endless reassurances.

Hiccupping, she shook her head violently against him before breaking out into a fresh fit of sobs. As though burned she lurched back from him to stare into his eyes. Leaning forward she grabbed at his face with her sweaty palms and stroked his cheeks. "You're alive…and you're you…" moving her hands from his face she brought them up to his hair and marvelled at the softness of those midnight blue locks. Threading her fingers through his long locks, she paused when she reached his neck. Stroking his arms now, she wrapped her arms around him and held him close. Her head crooked comfortably under his chin she half sighed half sobbed when he wrapped his arms around her as well.

Shocked was putting it lightly. Alive? Of course he was alive, why wouldn't he be? However, what shocked him the most was that she had a nightmare, she had cried-no wailed, because of a nightmare…about him. "Amu…Amu, it's just a dream. Only a dream." Saying maybe a little too forcefully he heard her breath stop.

"No. Not a nightmare…a memory." Her miserable voice reached his ears as a plea and he could feel his heart ache.

A memory? About what? He had never died. Her little body shuddered as she took in a deep breath. "We were at the Tower. I was there, Tadase-kun was there, and the Guardians and…and Death Rebel." I grimaced at the memory, or rather, lack of it. Those were not time I liked to reflect on.

"The Director…that evil, evil, horrible man! He was…he was, he was controlling you with that stupid tuning fork and he…he told you to kill me and I could see you running at me and I…I…all I could see where your eyes and…and…" here she finally gave in to her shaking body and heaved in a sob and cry at once. "They were so empty Ikuto! They weren't sparkling like they usually do. There was nothing. Nothing! And when you looked at me, there was no smirk, no smile, nothing. Blank. And I knew…I knew you couldn't hear me. Even when I screamed and pleaded for you to come back to me. You couldn't hear me. You were going to kill me and I…I was going to let you. I wouldn't hurt you. I couldn't…But…but…I didn't have to. Because Tadase-kun came, only, only he wasn't Tadase."

Bring her head up to look up at his; he tried to hide the pain and the sadness hiding in his dark gaze. He wouldn't let her see. He wouldn't. As if she was checking that he still there, that he still real, she looked away before finishing her sentence. "He killed you." She whispered quietly. "He killed you and that's when…that's when I snapped. I was so _angry and sad and mad and miserable and heartbroken and empty and every other word you can think of that aren't happiness and love_. I felt dead Ikuto. Like I was the one he pushed off the tower. You died! You left me! I remember screaming your name as you fell and I remember reaching over to try and catch you and…and! At the last moment, before you died, I saw you. I saw YOU, you came back, you came back just to die and that's when I screamed."

"Amu. Amu, listen to me. I'm not dead. And I'm not going to die anytime soon. Easter is done for. Easter's gone. I don't work for them anymore. It's done. It's over. I'm here. And I won't ever leave you." He repeated that last phrase over and over rocking her to calmness. It didn't work though, she still clung to him like he might disappear any second, narrowing his eyes in resolution Ikuto gently took hold of her chin and angled her tear stained face to his. " Amu… When I told you I loved you, I meant it." And so, he kissed her.

A kiss that pressed against her own chapped lips and transferred all of his promises and love, my hopes and my resolutions and my feelings for her. In that kiss, he told her that she was his forever and he was hers. He told her that he would never leave and that every day would be one more for them. He told her he would never leave her. He told her he loved her.

"Trust me Amu; I am _never_ going to leave you." Ikuto smiled genuinely and was rewarded with little stars in her eyes and a tiny, almost imperceptible smile growing on her face.

"Ikuto." She breathed. Suddenly, her eyes dropped downwards. "Ikuto…I'm scared."

Ikuto knew her, he knew her too well. Smiling warmly into her soft eyes he kissed her tenderly on her forehead. Shifting his hand to reach for hers, he slowly brought it to his chest and pressed it there. "Do you feel that?" the badump, badump, badump of his heart pounded lightly on her palm. Her shining eyes stared up at him in a murky gaze. "As long as you can feel this heartbeat, I'll be here."

"You promise?"

"Pinky promise."

Ikuto chuckled as he glanced at the clock, 3:24 a.m. damn; Amu was going to have a tough time to wake up tomorrow. Hugging her close to him, he leaned back slowly and brought her into him as he pulled up the covers. He didn't have to ask, he knew she wanted him to stay. He knew her too well. "Hush now Amu. I'm not going anywhere. You can sleep now." Wrapping her arms around his waist, she snuggled in close to him and breathed in hi scent. Several minutes passed and he thought she was asleep. Surprising him however, she tilted her head up and quickly pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. "I think I might love you Ikuto." She whispered softly, as if she wasn't quite sure himself.

"I know." He smirked a little then and was rewarded with a snort and sigh of aggravation.

"There you go; you just had to ruin a perfectly good moment. I've never even admitted that to myself yet and you just had to go and ruin it!"

"So you admit that you ARE in love with me?" he teased her lovingly.

"Oh hush you. I'm not giving you that satisfaction." Squeezing her lithe body he smiled into her hair.

"I love you Amu." His eyes were closed when he heard that ever so quiet whisper of "I love you too."


End file.
